Swiss Facts

We've had a lot of people ask us the same questions - here are some interesting facts - enjoy!!

General Facts:
•Switzerland is abbreviated “CH” this stands for: Confoederatio Helvetica.
•Switzerland covers 15'940 sq miles - that is nearly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
•Switzerland has neither a prime minister nor a president. The country is lead by the seven members of a Federal Council.
•Switzerland is not part of the European Union (EU) - the official currency is Swiss Francs (CHF). There are no ‘pennies’ in CHF.
•1971 marked the first time in history that women were able to vote in Switzerland and the full implementation of women voting in every Canton (state) was 1985.
•Switzerland has four different official languages: German (74%), French (20%), Italian (4%) and Romansh (1%) - the remaining 1% speaks other languages.
•448,000 people live in Basel and the surrounding area - 42% are foreign citizens…any we though the United States was a melting pot!
•People in Switzerland drive on the right – here’s an interesting site to review if you are interested: See standards here.
•You must be 16 to drink in Europe and 18 to drive.
•England is in the European Union, but they have not adopted the Euro.
•People take their pets EVERYWHERE - even trains, stores, and restaurants.

Other:
•Eggs are sold 10 to a carton – not 12.
•Milk is sold in one liter, cardboard containers that needs no refrigeration until opened.
•Digital clocks do not have AM/PM, only military time.
•We are able to buy fantastic wine for less than 5 CHF a bottle, but a simple meal out (like Chili’s or Appleby’s) for two people costs 65-70 CHF. A McDonald’s happy meal costs 10.90 CHF.
•Exotic travel advertisements on TV include: Cyprus, Singapore, Malaysia, Algarve, Spain, Croatia, Egypt, South Africa…and those are just the ones we can understand.
•It's different here and we LOVE IT!!!